Cushion-heel.



's. D. SMITH'.

CUSHION HEEL.

APPLICATION FILED IIcT.I9. 1915. 4

1,185,606. PfIIenIedMay 30,1916.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL Il).l SMITH, OF EAST DDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALE TO JOHN C. KENNEDY, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. v I v CUSHION-HEEL.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, SAMUEL D. SMITH, of East Dedham, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushion- Heels, of which the following is a speclfica-4 tion.

This invention relates to cushion heels or heel treads of the kind usually known as rubber heels. The presentmost approved kinds of such heels, when made, either have holes entirely through them or partly through them for the nails which sure them to the heel portions of the shoe, for the reason that it is diflicult to drive nails properly through rubber of the thickness usually employed. Such nail holes or re-` cesses, being formed in the rubber body whenthe heels are molded and vulcanized,

leave pockets in the tread surface w 'chgather dirt and road oil when the shoes are worn, to be afterward tracked into the house. Moreover, a large numberof sizes must be carried in stock by a dealer or cobbler because the presence'of the nail holes or recesses predetermines the locations of the nails and a given size cannot be materially cut or trimmed down toa smaller size withbut cutting into the holes or approaching.

them too closely to enable the heel 'toA be" securely attached. Furthermore, it is usually necessary to nail a leather lift to the heel portion of the shoe, before attaching the rubber heel. Y f The object of my invention is to provide a rubber heel by which these objections are avoided; that is, n o intermediate leather lift such as mentioned is required, there are no pockets or recesses to gather dirt and oil, and by making the rubber heel with no holes or projections such as brads or nails or recesses for nails any given size can be cut down so that a dealer need not carry more than two or three sizes in order to beprepared for any sizes of shoes to which the heels are to be attached.

My invention consists in making the heel in two pieces of rubber, preferably one ofv themv quite thin, nailing the thin or upper piece or layer to any shoe or boot heel structure, and then cementing the other piece to the upper piece or layer.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating my iinproved heel with the two members thereof Specication of Letters latent. Application led October 19, 1915. Serial No. 56,651.

Patented May 3o, 1ere.

Separated from a shoe heel to which they are to be attached. Fig. 2 is a view similarto Fig. 1 but showing the parts united for use.

The heel portion of the boot or shoe is indicated at a, having one or more of the usual lifts b, b, of leather or other suitable material. Some heels are madewith more or less of the interior portionrconsisting ofpaper.

My improved heel comprises .two layers of rubber @and d which preferably correspond with'each other in outline or area, and preferably made of the same quality of resilient rubber, although I do not limit4 myself to having the two portions c and d of the same quality of rubber. They should be Sulliciently similar, however, to enable them to be firmly and permanently connected by cement. No nail holes are formed in the layers c, d. Owing to the fact that the layer c is relatively thin, attaching nailscan be driven -through it at any desired point or points, in order to attach layer or rubber lift surface of the layer c. .The cement is indi; .v

cated by the heavy line e in Fig. 2..

It has been found in practice that cement will not permanently attach rubber to leather. Moisture is particularly 'liable to so act upon the material as to ermit the rubber to be pulled away from t e leather. The two layers of rubber, however, can be securely and permanently connected by cement. I, therefore, do not need to first provideV any holes whatever in the body layer d, nor inv the intermediate rubber layer or lift c, nor in any part of the shoe sole. `As indicated in Fig. 1, neither 'of the layers c, d, have any holes. Therefore, if the cobbler is to apply a rubber heel, according to my inventiomand if'the shoe which is to have the heel applied thereto is of considerably smaller s1ze than any of the heels which he has in stock, he can cut down the members c, d, to the required size, such cutting down not affecting in any way the means for then securing the rubber heel to the shoe heel.

When the boot or shoe is of a structure l heels now on the market, because otherwise the nails for securing the rubber heel cannot be always driven into portions of the shoe heel that will result in permanently holding the heel. With my invention, however, no such leather lift is needed, becausev the layer or lift c can have the nails driven through it at whatever may be the'proper locations to Vfirmly secure that lift in place.

The upper or thin layerl is preferably composed of harder material than the tread layer, to provide a firmer base for thetreadl layer and to be held more securelyby the nail heads.

An advantage which may, however, be considered a minorv one is that owing to the fact that there are no holes in the body portion d, the wear of the cushion heel is in. creased because there is more rubber in it than in a heel of the same size which has holes. Another advantage is that the thick piece or body cl can be worn entirely through before exposing the nail heads which secure the layer c in place. And of course it will be understood that the body d, with no nails in it, is more resilient than an elastic heel which is secured b nails whichhave heads or washers em edded therein. l

It is to vbe understood that by the term rubberfl do not limit myself to pure rubber, or natural rubber, since any of the compounds known as, or sometimes sold as,

rubber, and which are of the same or substantially the same characteristics as rubber, are to be included under said Iterm.

Having now described my invention, lf claim:

l. A` boot or shoe having a cushioned heel comprising a cushioning tread lift comsisting of two layers Yof rubber corresponding with each other in outline, one layer being 'thin and nailed to the heel portion of they boot or shoe and the other layer being imperforate' and substantially thicker than the first-mentioned layer and cemented thereto said thin layer being of a quality Vof rubber and having a thickness that will thickness that will permit the driving of attaching Vnails through it without previous formation of holes.

ln testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

SAMUEL D. SMXTH. 

